Five teams still battling for Mountain West title

Less than two weeks to sort things out

And prying oneself loose from the pack is going to demand some pretty fancy shooting.

With less than two weeks remaining in league play, five teams are still in contention to claim at least a share of the crown in a conference where the regular-season champion has never failed to garner an NCAA Tournament bid.

Two of those teams – San Diego State and BYU – meet tonight at Cox Arena, with the loser likely needing to win the conference tournament or curry favor with the NCAA Tournament selection committee to gain admission to the dance.

The Aztecs and Cougars, both 8-4 in conference play, are two of three teams trailing first-place Utah by two games with four to play. The other, New Mexico, which dealt SDSU its worst loss in five years Saturday, hosts TCU tonight.

And while its chances of recovering in time are dimming by the day, UNLV (8-5), the preseason conference favorite, cannot be dismissed. Should their run fall short, the Rebels hold the trump card of playing host to the MWC Tournament next month, an event UNLV has won each of the past two years to gain an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

The following is a look at what's ahead for the league's top four teams before the regular season concludes March 7.

Utah (19-7, 10-2 Mountain West): The Utes may be in the driver's seat at the moment, but they also face the toughest remaining schedule of the top four. Idle tonight, Utah tomorrow hosts UNLV, a team it lost to by 10 earlier this season. Though the Utes are one of three teams unbeaten at home in league play, they face road games at BYU and New Mexico. Utah has not won at BYU since 2005, while New Mexico also is unbeaten at home in conference play. The Lobos' average margin of victory in league games at The Pit this season has been 20.2 points.

BYU (20-6, 8-4): The defending two-time regular-season champion Cougars have struggled at Cox Arena in recent years, dropping five straight and six of seven. BYU hosts Utah on Saturday, hopeful of avenging a six-point loss in overtime in Salt Lake City last month. The Cougars close out the regular season at Wyoming and home against last-place Air Force. Wyoming is 5-1 at home in league play.

New Mexico (17-10, 8-4): The Lobos, arguably the league's most dangerous team at the moment, may be the most comfortably positioned of the conference's top four teams. After hosting TCU tonight, a team it beat by 17 on the road this season, New Mexico's home game against Utah next week is sandwiched around contests at Colorado State and Wyoming. In their earlier meetings with the Rams and Cowboys, the Lobos won by an average of 18.5 points.

SDSU (18-7, 8-4): Of the conference's top four contenders, the Aztecs are the only team with three home games remaining. SDSU, which has yet to lose a conference game at Cox Arena this season, has won 10 straight at home and 41 of 49 since the beginning of the 2005-06 campaign. Nonetheless, the Aztecs still must contend with BYU tonight – without starting forward Billy White (hyperextended knee) – before hosting UNLV in their regular-season finale. SDSU's lone remaining road game is Saturday at TCU. Though the Horned Frogs are 5-8 in league play, they posted a 68-62 win over the Aztecs in Fort Worth last year.

In essence, one step back may lead to a long way down.

Said Aztecs coach Steve Fisher: “We've got four losses and Utah has two with four games to go. Could Utah lose four in a row? Stranger things have happened. Will they? Very, very, very doubtful.

“If we want to have a chance to win it or tie (for the conference title), we're going to need to win four in a row. I think that's a fair statement, and one that's probably going to prove to be true.”